Pelosi says she’s confident of support by her caucus

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif. speaks to reporters during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 22, 2017.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif. speaks to reporters during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 22, 2017.

Photo: AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta

Photo: AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta

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House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif. speaks to reporters during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 22, 2017.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif. speaks to reporters during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 22, 2017.

Photo: AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta

Pelosi says she’s confident of support by her caucus

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WASHINGTON >> The latest on Democrats and their highest-ranking officeholder, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California (all times local):

11:45 a.m.

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi says she’s confident she has the support in her caucus despite finger-pointing and frustration after Democrats lost a Georgia special election.

Democrats invested millions in the costliest House race, but Republican Karen Handel beat Jon Ossoff on Tuesday. That drew criticism of Pelosi from fellow Democrats.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Pelosi said Democrats are proud of the race they ran and she dispelled a question about stepping down.

Said the 77-year-old California lawmaker: “I feel very confident of the support that I have in my caucus.”

Pelosi also responded to President Donald Trump’s tweet that ousting her “would be very bad for the Republican Party.”

Pelosi said: “Usually they go after the most effective leaders because they want to diminish the opportunity that we have.”

“So you want me to sing my praises, is that what you’re saying?” the California Democrat remarked dismissively to reporters when asked why she should stay on as leader. “Well, I’m a master legislator. I’m a strategic, politically astute leader. My leadership is recognized by many around the country.”

The leadership of the House Democratic Caucus tried to put the best face on Tuesday’s special election losses in Georgia and South Carolina by saying they’re making progress, and the GOP victories were much more narrow than in the past. (June 21)

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10:33 a.m.

President Donald Trump is lashing out at top Democrats on Twitter.

The president wrote Thursday: “I certainly hope the Democrats do not force Nancy P out. That would be very bad for the Republican Party - and please let Cryin’ Chuck stay!”

Trump was referring to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who is facing questions about her leadership after Democrats lost the Georgia special House election. Pelosi was the focus of negative advertising casting her as a San Francisco liberal and linking her to the Democratic candidate.

The president has previously taken shots at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, calling him “Cryin’ Chuck”

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4:22 a.m.

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is telling Democrats that next year could be the year they take back control of the House.

The response from some: It better be.

In the wake of a dispiriting loss for Democrats in a Georgia special House race, Pelosi is confronting renewed questions about her leadership, especially because she was the focus of a torrent of negative advertising in the Georgia election casting her as a San Francisco liberal and linking her to the Democratic candidate.

The apparent effectiveness of that messaging suggested to some that the 77-year-old Californian could be a liability for Democrats as they aim to regain their majority.

And after she predicted incorrectly that Democrats were poised to take back the House last year, some of Pelosi’s colleagues feel that this time around, she needs to deliver. Pelosi told fellow House Democrats in a letter Wednesday, “The House was in play before the Georgia race. The House remains in play now.”